Horse Illustrated Magazine

Riders4Helmets, the popular helmet awareness campaign, partnered for the second year with the Supreme Extreme Mustang Makeover to encourage helmet use at the event by offering $2,000 in helmet incentives. The Supreme Extreme Mustang Makeover (SEMM) is a National event that is organized by the Mustang Heritage Foundation (MHF), a non-profit organization founded with the purpose of saving America’s wild Mustangs. This year, the event was held Sept. 13-15 in Fort Worth, TX.

The Riders4Helmets Helmet Incentive awarded $500 to the highest scoring competitor wearing a properly fitting and secured ASTM/SEI certified helmet in the Stars, Idols, Legends and Youth divisions. A $250 SmartPak voucher and a $250 Pfizer voucher were also awarded in two random drawings of all adult competitors who wore an ASTM/SEI certified helmet but did not win one of the $500 cash incentives. A record number of competitors stepped up to the challenge and “Strapped One On”. While there were a number of English riders competing in helmets at the event, there were also many Western riders that participated in the incentive.

The winners were:

• Legends $500 – Jodi LaChance
• Idols $500 – Shaula Carboni
• Stars $500 – Anna Flaugher Schaben
• Youth $500 – Allison Reynolds
• SmartPak $250 voucher – Caitlyn Bennett
• Pfizer $250 voucher Kalyn Petrik

“Riders4Helmets would like to extend huge congratulations to the Riders4Helmets Safety Incentive winners of each division,” said Lyndsey White, Riders4Helmets founder. “Also, a tremendous THANK YOU to all of the competitors who participated in the incentive. The more top-level competitors in western disciplines choose to wear a helmet, the more our youth and upcoming horsemen will be inspired to wear one as well.”

Mary Miller-Jordan of Kelly, NC and her Mustang Silver Lining from Silver King, NV were named Reserve Champions, winning $20,000 in the Legends division of the Supreme Extreme Mustang Makeover. They received two standing ovations as they performed their entire freestyle bridleless and bareback with not even a neck rope. Mary wore a custom helmet she designed to look like a Cowboy hat.

Watch Mary Miller-Jordan and Silver Lining perform their freestyle below.

“Safety in all disciplines of equestrian sports should be paramount,” said Miller Jordan. “It is as equally important for western riders to wear a helmet as it is for English riders to do so. The goal of this unique incentive is not only to get individual competitors wearing an ASTM/SEI certified helmet at the competition, but also to spark some ideas in the minds of others to create similar incentives back home.”

Sponsors of the Riders4Helmets Helmet Safety Incentive included: Samshield, SmartPak, Triple Crown Horse Feeds, Pfizer, Julie Foreman, Dodge Ram and High Cotton Horse Farm. “We are grateful to the Supreme Mustang Makeover for partnering with us for a second year on this important safety initiative,” said Chad Mendell, Riders4Helmets, “We would like to thank all of the Helmet Incentive sponsors and especially Mary Miller Jordan for making this incentive happen for the second year running.”

For further information on the Riders4Helmets campaign please visit www.riders4helmets.com. For information on the Supreme Extreme Mustang Makeover please visit www.extrememustangmakeover.com. To learn more about the legacy of saving America’s wild Mustangs visit www.mustangheritagefoundation.org.

Riders4Helmets was founded in early 2010 after Olympic dressage rider Courtney King Dye was seriously injured in a riding accident. King Dye, who remained in a coma for a month, was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident and is currently undergoing rehabilitation.